Lost Memory
by TheSkandranon
Summary: AU: Karin has a memory of a boy that has been with her for six years, but has forgotten the face of the boy. Will she ever learn the identity of that boy? Another take of episode 132


Above an empty football field a five year old black haired little girl named Kurosaki Karin sat on a grassy hill with a sidewalk and railing behind her, holding her legs against her, her face in her knees, crying her eyes out.

Until about a quarter hour ago, she had been in the field below trying to kick a football around the field. But her little legs just couldn't handle the new activity and she constantly fell.

She had seen the bigger kids kick around the same kind of ball in a field like this and it looked like so much fun, but she couldn't understand why she couldn't do it like they did.

Then while she was still hid her face in her knees she hears an icy boyish voice above her, "Why are you crying?"

She gasped and looked up. Standing over her was a boy that seemed to be about her age, but the strange thing was that his hair was white, and had striking turquoise eyes.

She looked back down, still crying. "I want to play football, but I keep falling."

"So just keep getting up and try again." She raised her head up at him again, "If it's something you really want, isn't it worth getting up and trying again no matter how many times you fall and hurt yourself?"

She stared up at him in wonder, and him looking down at her with a somewhat cold gaze, as if he didn't expect her to get up and try again. He sighed a little exasperatedly and then put his hand in his pocket and pulled out a box of strawberry pocky then stretched his arm down at her offering her the box.

She was so surprised she didn't immediately take the sweet, so he set it on the ground beside her and walked away.

Karin watched the back of the retreating figure then looked down at the pocky. She smiled grimly and wiped her eyes with her sleeve then reached down and pulled out a stick of pocky.

She ate the treat as she walked home.

She would always remember the incident as the last happy memory she had right before her whole world changed when she found out her mother had been hit with a car while pushing her big brother Ichigo out of the way of it; saving him, but killing her.

* * *

Six years had passed since that time and you would never recognize the tomboyish girl as the Kurosaki Karin that she once was. Since the day her mother died she had resolved never to cry so as to not put any strain on her family in worrying about her, and she hadn't since. She had become strong for her family.

She was walking towards a football field when a frustrating thought about her brother caused her to stop thinking momentarily and kick her ball. It fell out of its netting, and rolled towards the street. She ran after it in desperation, after all, it was an old ball, the first one she had started playing with when she was five. It was well taken care of and repaired when it needed it, so it still looked almost new.

And she was about to watch it roll into the busy street when it was stopped with a foot.

Karin stopped in surprise then looked at the person who stopped her ball and stared. This boy looked very familiar for some reason. He was wearing a black grey shirt with grey pants, but it wasn't the clothes that struck her, it was the hair. It was white, and very spiky. For some reason she felt she should know that hair.

Then he looked at her and she was struck with that feeling again, but even stronger. His eyes were a brilliant turquoise that would normally seem an impossible eye color. Truly, where did she know him from?

"Is this yours?"

She was so busy staring she almost missed his question, but she couldn't really speak so she just nodded her head.

"You should be more careful with it," he then dropped the ball, and then lightly kicked it up to her. She caught it automatically, and when she looked back to where he was standing, he was gone.

After the incident, she was in a state of partial confusion. She could function properly, she even challenged a group of middle schoolers to a football match. But her mind was constantly on the white haired boy. She eventually talked to him twice on her special hill, partially to try and find out more about him, and also to ask him to play with her and her friends. She could tell he had skills and knew he would be a big help to her and her team in the upcoming match with the middle schoolers.

But he declined, claiming to not have enough time and when she asked why he came here he said he liked to look at the sky here, that it brought back memories.

She could understand that since that particular hill held special memories for her as well. It was there that she had her last happy moment before her mother died, a boy had encouraged her and given her some pocky. She couldn't remember the face of the boy anymore, she had been only five at the time after all, but that moment stuck out to her. She took his words to heart and practiced her football as much and as often as she could, putting up with the multiple injuries that she acquired because of the ball game and became the player she was today.

Pocky had also become the one sweet that she liked. She would always have a box with her, she didn't even care when the sticks broke because of her playing football. She would still eat them.

When the day of the match came up, she was disappointed to see that the white haired boy, whose name was Hitsugaya Toshiro she had learned earlier, had not appeared.

She still did not let that distract her as she played, but she did think of that boy from six years ago when that middle schooler caused her to fall and injure her knee. She wanted this victory, and it was worth the pain she felt as she continued to run up and down the field, trying to make a goal.

When she spotted Toshiro coming towards them, the wind blowing through his hair triggered something in her memory. She suddenly remembered that the boy from the hill had white hair as well. It wasn't as spiky though, it was wavier. But still, how many boys with white hair could there be in Japan? Could he be the one she remembered?

She jerked her mind to the present; she'd figure it out later. They had a game to win after all.

"You're late Toshiro."

"How can I be late if I never said I was coming?"

"Who's the new kid? You losers getting someone to help you now?"

"We're making a substitution"

"Hey wait, I didn't come here to play football with you guys. I came to ask you.." He then looked at her leg, "You're knee, are you hurt?"

"It's just a scratch, I'm fine." After she said that, he seemed to look at her eyes intensely, "What's wrong?"

He sighed exasperatedly, "Fine I guess I'll play, you guys want to win right?"

After Toshiro agreed to play with them and scored so many points, she was touched that he let her have the last goal. He seemed to have such a cold and uncaring personality.

Then, after the game was won her friends were celebrating with each other so she walked up to Toshiro.

"Thanks Toshiro, we couldn't have done it without you."

"C'mon, you're the one who scored the winning goal. Anyways, there was something I wanted to talk to you about."

"Huh? What is it?"

"Let's go up to the hill."

So they walked up to the hill she's seen him in the past wondering what he wanted to talk to her about.

When they got to the hill they both crawled over the railing. She sat down on the grass there, while he leaned against the railing. They both stared at the sky for a little while, and then she turned her face up to him to ask him what he wanted. He was still staring out at the sky, but she could still see his eyes. It was then that she fully remembered the face of the boy who had encouraged her when she was five. The position she was in, coupled with the same face, triggered the memory and made it whole.

While she was walking down memory lane, her facial expressions didn't change, but when she looked away she smiled to herself, then pulled out a semi crushed box of pocky out of her pocket and pulled one out. It was mostly intact, but with her fall on the field it's not surprising that it would be broken.

Even so she still held out the piece to Hitsugaya-san. He looked down at her for a few seconds then took the stick and stuck it in his mouth.

"I see you took my words to heart."

She smiled a little and looked over the hill again, she had wondered if he remembered her. She didn't expect him to really, she was just a little crybaby that he had happened upon after all.

"Yeah, your advice has helped me out a lot over the years. And not just with football either. I've realized that they could mean in life as well. Just after we met, my mom died. And even though you weren't there physically, you've helped me out through a lot of tough times."

"I'm sorry to hear that about your mom, but I'm glad I could help at least someone."

She turned to look at him after that statement; he still wasn't really looking at her. But she could tell that with his personality, he was probably alone a lot, and didn't associate with others often. And even though he might prefer it that way, he can still get lonely sometimes and want to help others.

On impulse, Karin stood up, walked to him, and gave him a tight hug. He stiffened, "What are you doing?"

"Thank you Toshiro, thank you for talking to me that day."

He then relaxed and wrapped a single arm around her waist.

"No problem Karin."

* * *

**A/N: AND I'M BACK! Wow, that was the longest writers block I've ever had. I hate when you really want to write, and yet you can't. No matter which story you try and write. So frustrating!**

**Anyways, this story, while it's cute, I don't think is my best work. I'm still a little rusty after my writers block, but I'm just glad to be writing again. So I hope you enjoyed this light fluff.**

**Also, even though HitsuKarin is one of my top three favorite pairings in Bleach, this is only my second fanfic about them. Go figure, lol**


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